LatinaLista — There’s no denying that Mother Nature is making life more of a challenge these days in some parts of the world. From Australia’s farmland coast that was hit with cyclones and massive floods to Argentina’s agriculture hit by drought and both of Peru and Argentina experiencing a crisis with their low fish catchings, some of the major food producers in the world are having to work harder just to grow or catch enough food to feed people.
Unfortunately, that means for the rest of us that though our grocery store checkout time will be shorter, our bills will be larger. According to a new report issued by the International Monetary Fund, everyone needs to get used to these high food prices because they’re not coming down anytime soon.
It’s bad news for everybody but especially for those families who really have to debate whether buying food is more important than paying the electric bill. As it is, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that 17.2 million children in America are at risk of hunger.
So what can the rest of us do to help that won’t cost us any extra money or take food away from our own families?
The answer lies at the heart of a new anti-hunger campaign launching Saturday, March 19. On that date, an NBC 30-minute special titled “Child Hunger Ends Here: A Special Report” will premiere on NBC stations in 11 different cities: Chicago, Dallas, Hartford, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Omaha, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.
There are plans to syndicate the program in an additional 200 stations. The special is part of the interactive anti-hunger campaign, Child Hunger Ends Here, sponsored by food manufacturer ConAgra Foods.
To help get food to hungry families, shoppers have only to buy ConAgra food brands like Peter Pan Peanut Butter, Marie Callender’s, Chef Boyardee, Healthy Choices, or Banquet frozen dinners. Once they get home, people pull up the hunger campaign’s web site, enter the purchase code found on the box or can of food and ConAgra donates one meal with each code to the national food bank Feeding America.
In addition, consumers can make a financial contribution to Feeding America through a mobile giving campaign. Simply text “FEEDKIDS” to 50555 to make a $10 donation directly to Feeding America. Each $10 donation helps provide 70 meals to children in need.
And to get viewers more involved during the program, an online trivia contest, along with, asking questions of ConAgra representatives will take place via Twitter by following the hashtag #ChildHungerEndsHere between 7-8 p.m. EST on Saturday, March 19.
It doesn’t get any easier than this to help, and it makes a big difference to those parents who have to send their kids to bed hungry because the electric bill won out.
